Public opinion takes off with PM’s freshly painted jet

The photograph of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s “government” jet says almost everything needed about the Conservative Party of Canada (apart, that is, from its terrible environmental policies, its neo-liberal economic blunders, its hideous domestic and global record on human rights and democracy, its maniacal military aspirations and all the issues tied up in the social justice bundle, etc.).

The newly painted aircraft is a splendid symbol of the arrogance exuded by the governing party.

It bespeaks a view of citizens and of “taxpayers’ money” that says, in effect, “we can do whatever we like and we’ll rub your faces in a Conservative party logo as we do.” It implies we believe Canadians are incompetent fools, either too ignorant to notice or too alienated to care.

Howard A. Doughty, Richmond Hill

The government really missed the boat (or plane) on this new design for the PM’s jet. It should have opened this up as a design contest for all schools across Canada. There are a lot of talented children in Canada who could have come up with a uniquely Canadian design for the plane, better than what it has now. All the designs submitted could then be voted for online by the public. The winning design could get an award from the Prime Minister’s Office, which the school would proudly display. Too bad the government does not get our children more involved in the politics; they are our future.

David Miller, Keswick

Let me tell you how trivial and petty it is for the official Opposition and other rump parties to exploit the new colour scheme of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-150 Polaris.

This is the aircraft designated to transport our prime minister, heads of state and other dignitaries. The citizens of Canada should demand an aircraft that is befitting this role. What perplexes me the most is the absolute ignorance shown toward the explicit colour scheme used on this aircraft. Do the opposition parties not know that the national colours of the RCAF are red, white and blue? This should be a non-partisan non-issue.

Instead, the opposition and certain media have collaborated, alleging that the colour scheme is a Conservative brand billboard. The design and colour of this aircraft come from the RCAF, not from some bureaucrat.

I pity the Canadian public, which does not know the heritage of the RCAF and I blame politicians for perpetuating that ignorance. Thomas Mulcair claiming that his party will not paint the aircraft orange when his party forms the government in 2015 is true, for two reasons. First, the RCAF will never paint their aircraft orange. Second, the NDP will never form a national government.

Randall Inberg, Morinville AB

I object to the slur that Pat Martin of the NDP casts on the Taj Mahal, a sublime work of art, by comparing it to the prime minister’s new airplane paint job. The former livery of RCAF 01 was sober and dignified. The only reason I could imagine for this tacky makeover, apart from flying the party’s colours, was for security reasons. Its new camouflage paint job will enable it to hide among the jets of budget airlines anywhere in the world.